First of all–did you guys see that my adorable husband left a comment on yesterday’s post about him? I was so happy and surprised to see it. When you read it, I think you’ll understand why he got a whole post devoted to him 
Also, I must confess that I’m sad that nobody wants me to write about decorating, because I’m secretly a decorating junkie. I told this to my husband, and he said, “Well honey, maybe they don’t like your decorating. Everyone has different styles and tastes, you know.” I must have looked crestfallen, because he started backpedaling. “I mean, I love how you’ve decorated the house, you know that! I just mean that other people might not like it. Not that it’s not pretty! I mean, what’s not to like, right?”
I know he meant well, but this whole conversation made me feel much worse.
Anyway, this is our pantry, as of today:
It’s been almost 7 weeks since we started the Pantry Challenge, and we’ve done pretty well. Aside from milk, juice, eggs, and the occasional fresh produce, we’ve purchased almost no groceries to speak of. We also saved a lot of gas money, because I just picked up the few items we needed at our local grocery store, and didn’t drive to the city every week to shop. However, we were unable to stick to the rules entirely, because:
a) I must have Diet Coke.
b) It’s impossible for us to NEVER eat out.
Because we’re so thrifty in all other areas of our life, we’ve decided that we should allow ourselves these treats, in moderation of course.
The pantry challenge was a very good experience for us, because it forced us to use up what we had. I found new and creative ways to prepare staples, and I was able to better determine what to buy in the future. For example, we’ve had TVP sitting around in our cupboard for 4 years. While it’s a very inexpensive source of protein, and I had the best of intentions in buying it, we had to come to terms with the fact that we just don’t like it. I used up what was left, and will never buy it again. Remember…no matter how cheap it is, it’s not a bargain if your family won’t eat it!
After 7 weeks, the pantry is looking pretty bare. I’m a resourceful person, but I’m tired of trying to make balanced, nutritious, great-tasting meals out of NOTHING. I told my husband that unless we can eat liquor and paper towels, I’m going to have to go to the grocery store. He said, “Honey, what do you mean? Look, we have applesauce and elbow macaroni!” I replied, “Well yes, but we don’t have anything else. I mean, what are we going to eat with the elbow macaroni?”
“How about tuna?”
“We don’t have any tuna.”
“What about cheese? We could make macaroni and cheese.”
“I’m sick of macaroni and cheese. Macaroni and cheese makes me barf.”
“We have quick oats. We could eat oatmeal for supper.”
I stared at him incredulously. “You’re kidding right?”
At this point, Bee, who was coloring at the kitchen table, piped up, “DADDY! Let Mommy go to the store! I’m sick of oatmeal. I want chocolate chip waffles!”
And that settled it. He was outvoted 2 to 1. Thanks Bee.
